Scientists last week announced that Earth’s carbon dioxide levels had exceeded 400 parts per million, likely the highest they’ve been in billions of years, according to 350.org.So now, when several election officials are preaching the importance of advance mail ballots for early voting, I’m understandably insulted.We can’t be thinking about voting at time like this, for Christ’s sake! The environment is in trouble, and your first thought is sacrificing our time and resources on an election? A presidential election, at that? An election that determines our future and the future of the Earth? No way! How dare you!How dare you suggest that I go to www.rileycountyks.gov/141/Advance-Voting to avoid the long lines and wait times that will likely happen during election day on Nov. 8. All this just to cast my vote to decide how we as a nation are going to address climate change. Just despicable. Really.The news that carbon dioxide has reached a critical point is nothing to take lying down. It’s also not the time, at all, to focus on the election of all things. Or advance mail ballots.Even though, of course, there’s that whole issue in that both the democratic and republican candidates, as well as the respective third parties, take wildly different stances in response to climate change. "On the Issues" reports candidates addressing the topic with everything from "half a billion more solar panels deployed, (in) the first four years" to a reply of "that's a big mistake."Man, these candidates sure aren't on the same page; they're not even in the same library. This election could really determine how our future president plans to respond to climate change and the potential impact it could continue to have on our planet. I guess that’s something to consider.Not to mention that trying to carve time out of your day is challenging enough for a college student already, and trying to vote on a day where everyone is also trying to vote could pose some problems that advance mail ballots would easily fix.Then there’s the whole issue of students who aren’t from the Manhattan area that can still vote without making the drive back home if they just visit vote.org and fill out the absentee ballot form.I just hope that voting on the direction our country will go doesn't take away precious time and resources from responding to climate change. Although I can't imagine a president even beginning to care about this issue. The state of the environment is only mentioned in both the democratic and republican official party platforms. Hardly a priority.I guess if all else fails, the Bluemont Room in the Student Union will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Oct. 19 to Nov. 4 for early voting. Minimal time and effort for those involved, I’m assuming.The point is, now is not the time to care about the candidates, their stances, the fate of our country or the fate of the world.The science is in, after all.